Machine for making fence-posts.



L. wHi. JONES. MACHINE POR MAKING FENCE POSTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG;12, 1913. 1,108,908. Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

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L. H. JONES.

MACHINE FOR MAKING FENCE POSTS.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.12, 1913.

1,108,908. Patented sept.1,1914.

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Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

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LEE II. JONES, OF BLOOMFIELD, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR MAKING FENCE-POSTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application inea August 12, 1913. serial No. 784,387.

To alt whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEE H. JONES, citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, in the county of Greene and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Machines for Making Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for making tubular posts, and has for its object the provision of a simple and efficient machine whereby a sheet metal blank may be fed into one end of the machine and automatically and continuously fed through the said machine and operated upon by the said machine so as to emerge from the opposite end thereof as a completed tubular post.

One object of the invention is to provide means whereby the each step in the formation of the post may be maintained in the interval between said step and the succeeding stepl and the blank supported so that it will be fed to the shaping instrumentalities in Yproper position to be accurately engaged by said instrumentalities.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for forming upon the post, members which may be engaged by a retaining device or key to hold the fabric of a wire fence placed against the post.

Other incidental objects of the invention will appear as the description of the same proceeds, and the invention consists in certain novel features which are illustrated in the accompanying` drawings and will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. t is a view showing the several pairs of shaping rolls in edge elevation; Fig. 5 is4 an enlarged detail section of the engaging portion of the rolls for forming theretainer supporting portions of the post; Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 10 are enlarged detail transverse sections of several guides for the blank; Fig. 9 is a detail perspective of another guide; Fig. 11 is an edge elevation of a pair of rolls which may be employed to form a longitudinally corrugated tube; Fig. 12 is an enlarged section of the engaging portion of said rolls; Fig. 13 is a y shape given the blank at Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

perspective view of a fence post which will be produced 1n my machine showing the same set up in its operative position.

The fence post to be produced in my improved machine is intended to support wire fences lconsisting of line wires or strands j having stay-wires secured thereto at intervals, and the post, indicated at 1, consists of a sheet metal, preferably cylindrical, tube formed from a single sheet metal blank having its longitudinal edges brought together so as toform a butt joint. vIn that portion of thel blank opposite the joint and against which the wire fence fabric will rest are formed eyes or loops 2 through which is inserted a key or retainer rod 3, the said retainer or key passing over the fence fabric so as to hold the same against the post, as will be readily understood from Fig. 13 of the accompanying drawings.

In carrying out my'invention, I employ a j frame which may be of any convenient construction and is illustrated as consisting` of side plates l connected by transverse bars'` or braces 5 at their ends and also connected by a bed or base plate 6 at their lower edges,

which bed or base plate may be firmly bolt ed to the floor of the workroom or to any other fixed foundation. The side plates are preferably constructed in upper and lower sections so as to facilitate the placing of the f several operating shafts in position, and the upper and lower sections are rigidly secured together by suitable bolts 7 inserted through the meeting flanges 8 of the sections. The lower sections or members' of the side plates are provided at intervals with seats 9 to receive journal boxes 10 in which are mounted the ends of the several transverse shafts 11.

rlhe roller-carrying shafts 11 extend between the side plates but the stub-shafts 12 which alternate with the roller-carrying shafts are mounted in only one sidel plate. Upon thek outer ends of the roller-carrying shafts 11 aresecured spur wheels 13, and

stub-shafts 12 are secured pinions 1i which mesh with the two adjacent spur wheels, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, softhat the rollers of the entire train will rotate in the same direction. shaft 11 at one end of the machine is operatively connected with a prime motor in any convenient manner, as by a band pulley 15 over which a belt 16 is trained. The upper roller-carrying shafts 17 are arranged in upon the The roller-carrying the vertical planes of the lower roller-car rying shafts and also extend between the side members of the main frame. These upper roller-carrying shafts 17 are each equipped at one end with a spur wheel 18, meshing with the spur wheel 13 respectively below the same, so that the upper rollers will be driven from the lower rollers and will rotate in the opposite direction.

The bearings 10 of the lower shafts 11 are supported directly upon the main frame, and the upper portions of the frame are pr-ovided with vertical slots or passages 19 to facilitate the removal and insertion of these bearings whenever it is necessary to renew, clean or repair the same., The said slots or passages 19 are expanded in their upper portions, thereby providing shoulders 2() upon which the bearings 21 for the upper shafts 17 may seat, and above the said bearings strong coiled springs 22 are arranged between the said bearings and the cap plates 23 secured upon the side members of the mainframe. These springs will permit the upper shafts to rise when a blank is fed between the rollers carried by the said shafts, and, at the same time, will exert sufcient pressure upon the upper bearings to hold the upper rollers effectually to the blank so that the desired configuration will be imparted thereto as it passes between the rollers.

As shown in the drawings, thereare five pairs of upper and lower shafts, each shaft carrying a shaping roller or die. `The first pair of rollers, 2li-25, have plane peripheries so that they, in effect., constitute i merely feeding guides for the blank and do not change the shape of the same except to press therefrom any wrinkles or other irregularities which may have been produced therein during the manufacture of the sheet metal plate, but positively feed the blank tothe lsucceeding' roll. The second pair of rollers, 26-27, constitute a pair of dies by which the retainer-receiving eyes or loops will be formed. The lower roller 27 is provided at regula-r intervals around its periphery with a series of transverse recesses 28 `having inwardly converging portions 29 and a centra-l socket or concave enlargement 30, while the upper roller 26 is provided at regular intervals around its periphery with a series of transverse projections 31 having outwardly converging surfaces 32, adapted to co-act with the surfaces 29 of the under roller, and a convex knob or tongue 33 adapted to lit in the socket 30 of the lower roller.

It will be readily seen that as the blank is engaged by the rollers 26 and 27 the projections 3l will force portions of the blank into the recesses 4or seats 28, so that the said portions will be struck from the main body of the blank and will be stamped into a shape corresponding to the outline of the said co-acting projections and recesses. The knob or tongue 33 and the socket 30 engaged thereby will form the projecting eye or key-receiving loop,shown at 2 in ig. 13, while the surfaces 32 and 29 will f-orm the supporting members extending from the said eye or loop to the body of the post, the parallel edges of the projection co-acting with the parallel edges of the recess to vform shear cuts so as to make clean positive lines of separation between the main body of the post and the retainer-receiving portions.

inasmuch as the surfaces 32 and 39 merge into the peripheries of the respective rollers, the ends of the retainer-receiving portions will be left integral with the body of the blank. The third pair of rollers, 34-35, have concave and convex peripheries, so that the blank as it is engaged by the said rolls will be transversely dished and thus given the initial turn or bend constituting the first step in the formation of the cylindrical tube. is convex transversely so that the weight of the said roller will be utilized to force the yblank into the transversely concave periphery of the lower roller, and the lower roller is provided with transverse recesses corresponding to the recesses 28 so that the retainer-receiving eyes will be accommodated. It will be understood, of course, that the lower roll of each succeeding pair The periphery of the upper roller of rolls will have similar recesses formed therein to prevent flattening` of the eyes during the successive steps in the formation of the post. The upper roller 36 of the fourth pair of rolls is provided with a central annular' rib 37 fitting in a central annular groove 38 of the lower roller 39, so that these rollers will make the blank U-shaped transversely, whereby, as the blank emerges from this pair of rollers, itwill be semi-cylindrical. The iifth and last pair f of rollers, 40-41, are each provided with annular semi-circular grooves 4-2 in their peripheries which receive the semi-circular post produced by the fourth pair of rolls and force the edges of the blank together so lthat they abut and a complete cylinder will be produced. It will be understood, of course, that the depth of the grooves in the rollers LO-il is less than the depth of the groove in the roller 39, so that the edges of the half cylinder formed bythe fourth pair of rolls will extend above the groove in the lower roller 41 and will be positively engaged by the groove in the upper roller 40 and by their engagement with said groove will be forced together to abut.

Arranged adjacent the rolls and co-acting therewith are a series of guides 43, l4A, 45, 46, and 47. The guides 13 are merely transversebars secured to the sides of the main frame and extending between the same, the

lower bar having a groove 48 in itsupper side extending longitudinally of the machine and having a flat bottom. The upper bar has a depending portion 49 fitting within the groove 48 and having its lower surface parallel with the base of said groove so that the blank passing through the guidefwill be kept smooth and straight. The guide 43 is duplicated in advance and in rear of the first pair of rolls 24-25 so that the blank will be fed to the said rolls and will be supported throughout its length while passing to and between said rolls and from the said rolls to the second pair of rolls. The guide 44 also consists of upper and lower transverse bars, but the groove 50 in the lower bar of this guide has the same formation as the recess in the lower roll 27 so that this guide will conform to and support the blank as it emerges from the second pair of rolls and prevent buckling of the blank as it passes to the third pair of rolls.

The guides 45, 46, and 47 each consist of upper `and lower transverse bars, but the guide 45 has its lower bar formed with a shallow concave groove, into which fits a convex rib on the upper bar, while the lower bar of the guide 46 has a concave groove of greater depth but less width than the groove in the guide 45, the `guide 46 being so shaped that the edges of the blank will be turned slightly inward to facilitate the bringing of the same together by the last rolls. The members of the guide 47 are formed with registering concave grooves which fit together so as to form a circular passage for the cylindrical tubeor post passing from the last pair of rolls and the lower member of each guide is formed with a groove to accommodate the eyes on the post and prevent fiattening of the same.

1t may sometimes be desirable to form longitudinal corrugations in the post or cylinder, and when this form of post is to be made the rollers 404-41 are removed and the rollers '5l- 52, illustrated in Figs. 1l and 12, are `substituted therefor. The rollers .5l-52 are provided with semi-circular annular grooves, but the bases of the said grooves, instead of being smooth, are formed with longitudinal flutes or ribs so that the pressure exerted by the said rolls upon the tube will form longitudinal corrugations therein. The longitudinal ribs or corrugations 53 of the grooves 54 in these rollers are clearly shown in Fig. 12.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the operation of the apparatus will be readily understood. The blank which is of the proper length and width is fed through the first guide 43 by hand, or by some mechanical feeder, if desired, and from the said guide is engaged by the rollers 24-25 and drawn to and passed into the second guide 48. The frictional engagement of the rollers 24--25 with the blank will serve to eliminate all irregularities therein and feed it positively through the second guide 43 to the secondpair of rollers. These rollers will then stamp up the keyreceiving eyes or loops and the blank thus stamped will then be fed successively throughy the guides 44, the third pair of rollers, the guides 45 and the succeeding rollers and guides, as will be readily understood, and as it is acted upon by each succeeding pair of rollers it will be folded into the cylindrical form desired in the completed post. As the post is discharged from the last pair of rolls, the retaining key 3 may be inserted in the eyes or loops, but the posts and the retaining keys may be shipped or stored separately.

The fluted or corrugated rollers 51-52 will be found especially advantageous when it is desired to form tubing for rain spouts and similar purposes in the machine, and, if it be desired to form plain tubing, the second pair of rollers 26-27 will be omitted.

It will be noted that guides are provided between all the adjacent pairs of rolls and in advance of the first rolls and in rear of the last rolls, so that, until the entire length of the completed post has been discharged from the machine, the blank or partly made post will be positively supported and bending or buckling of the blank or post as it passes from one pair of rolls to a succeeding pair of rolls is prevented. Moreover, the guides serve to maintain the transverse form of the blank or partly finished post until it is engaged by the succeeding pair of rollers, so that distortion of the post cannot occur and the formation of imperfect posts will be prevented. The several rolls are positively driven by inter-meshing gears so that they operate at the same speed and the continual uninterrupted feeding of the blank through the machine will be assured. The machine is very simple in the construction and arrangement of its parts and will require no attention upon the part of the operator after the blank has been fed into the machine.

What I claim is 1n a machine for the purpose set forth, a pair of rollers arranged to engage a blank fed between them, the lower roller being provided in its periphery with spaced recesses extending in axial planes of the roller and each having a central depressed socket in its bottom and outwardly diverging sur- -faces extending from opposite edges of said socket toward the ends of the roller and terminating at the peripheral surface of the roller, the side walls of the recessl being straight and extending parallel with the axis of the roller, and the upper roller being provided on its periphery with spaced radial projections lying in axial planes of the roller and each comprising a Central straight 'and parallel to abut the side Walls knob adapted to engage a socket in the botof the socket. 10'

tom of a recess n the lower roller and d- In testimony whereof I aHX my signature verging surfaces extending from the opin kpresence oi two Witnesses.

5 posite sides of said knob toward the ends n LEE H. JONES. [n s] of the roller and cru-acting with the diverg- Vitnesses: ing surfaces extending from the said socket, R101-IARD l/V. RUOF,

the side Walls of the projections being` WALTER T. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

v Washington, D. C. 

